The headline is, of course, my summary of what was said. The FBI didn’t say they were concerned about Muslims or jihad. Comey can’t say that; it’s against Obama Administration policy. What he said was, “We are focused on trying to figure out what our people are up to — who should be spoken to, who should be followed, who should be charged. It’s something we are intensely focused on.” He is “intensely focused” on this — just don’t ask him which of “our people” might be likely to go to Syria and get “radicalized,” or what they might get “radicalized” into. If anyone did dare ask Comey that, he would reach deep into his bag of euphemisms and come out with something like “radical extremists,” which wouldn’t reveal much of anything about this great foe that cannot be named.
“Americans radicalized by Al Qaeda are a big concern,” by Richard A. Serrano for the Los Angeles Times, January 18:
WASHINGTON — With Al Qaeda militants surging in the Middle East and North Africa, top U.S. law enforcement officials are increasingly concerned about efforts to recruit and radicalize American citizens by drawing them to the restive region and sending them back to this country to carry out terrorist attacks.
FBI Director James B. Comey calls the threat one of the bureau’s top priorities and said the agency is working to identify and track U.S. residents who travel overseas, embrace Al Qaeda ideology and return to the United States.
“We are focused on trying to figure out what our people are up to — who should be spoken to, who should be followed, who should be charged,” Comey said in a recent meeting with reporters at FBI headquarters. “It’s something we are intensely focused on.”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says that Al Qaeda, which has turned into a number of splinter groups, is just as ominous a threat as it was on Sept. 11, 2001. “Al Qaeda is not on the run, but is in fact growing in strength at an alarming rate across the Middle East and North Africa,” he said at a committee hearing Wednesday.
Indeed. And why is that? Could it have anything to do with Obama’s weakness and fecklessness, and his arming of jihadists in Syria and Libya?
In a reminder of Al Qaeda’s resurgence, fighters associated with the network seized control this month over parts of the Iraqi city of Fallouja and continue to play a key role in opposition groups seeking to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), who has closely studied the threat of Americans radicalized abroad, agrees that Al Qaeda remains far from defeated, although it is less centralized. “In many ways the threat is more dangerous than it was before,” he said. “And we have to deal with it in a more intelligent way.”
Ain’t that the truth. One more intelligent thing we could do would be stop being so coy about where exactly the threat is coming from, and what the motives and goals are of those who are doing the threatening. How can we possibly defeat an enemy we are afraid to name and refuse to speak honestly about?
Two cases of radicalized Americans surfaced last year.
Nicole Lynn Mansfield, a nurse from Flint, Mich., died while fighting alongside anti-government militants in northern Syria. Thirty-three years old, she was among three killed in May after she reportedly tossed a grenade from a passing car at Syrian government soldiers, who then opened fire on the vehicle.
Mansfield was still carrying her Michigan driver’s license. Also found in her vehicle was a banner for one of the Al Qaeda-linked rebel fronts fighting in Syria. She had married a man from Dubai and converted to Islam. The pair had participated in a Washington rally in support of Egypt’s “Arab Spring.”
The other radicalized American is Eric Harroun, a former U.S. Army private from Tucson, who pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to violate arms-control laws after fighting in Syria alongside Al Nusra Front, a branch of Al Qaeda that the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.
Harroun, 31, was never deployed by the Army to the region. He went to Syria on his own last January, and began posting images and videos on the Internet showing the fighting and complaining about Assad.
It is ridiculous to consider either Mansfield or Harroun as examples of Americans who went overseas and, lo and behold, somehow ended up radicalized. Clearly they were already “radicalized” as Muslims in the U.S., or they wouldn’t have gone into the Syrian war zone in the first place.
He initially faced a sentence of up to 30 years for firing a rocket-propelled grenade during a clash in Syria. He was arrested in March, and then released upon his guilty plea in September, having served six months in jail.
In a “statement of facts” unsealed Jan. 9 in his federal court case, which Harroun signed, prosecutors said he “acted unlawfully and knowingly and not because of mistake, accident or other innocent reason,” making clear the U.S. government believes he joined the militants on purpose and was radicalized into their ideology.
Two others in recent years were radicalized in Pakistan, then returned to the U.S. and came dangerously close to carrying out bombings in New York. Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan American, schemed to blow up the subway with backpack bombs, and Faisal Shahzad, an American born in Pakistan, attempted to detonate a car bomb in Times Square.
Zazi, 28, was arrested in 2009 and admitted he was “recruited” by Pakistani militants to hit the crowded transit system with a series of suicide bombs. He pleaded guilty and was facing life in prison, but his sentence was postponed and he was later reportedly moved to a secret location.
Shahzad, 34, was arrested in 2010 after trying to detonate a car bomb in Times Square. He, too, pleaded guilty and admitted he had received bomb-making training in Pakistan. He was sentenced to life in prison with no parole.
Federal law enforcement officials say they have been tracing other U.S. residents traveling abroad, specifically Somali Americans from Minnesota who have gone to fight in that country. They are also watching several individuals identified soon after the Sept. 11 attacks, such as half a dozen men from the Buffalo suburb of Lackawanna, N.Y., who trained at an Al Qaeda facility in Afghanistan.
Comey says these suspects are always the most difficult to identify and stop. He suggests it is all the more challenging today because Al Qaeda has been “metastasizing” into splinter groups in Iraq, Syria and Libya.
Although the FBI previously had “great success” against Al Qaeda in the group’s traditional Afghanistan-Pakistan region, he said, “in the ungoverned or poorly governed spaces in Africa and around the Middle East, we see a resurgence of Al Qaeda affiliates.”
Former Rep. Jane Harman of California, who used to be chairwoman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee and is now president of the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank, told McCaul’s committee that one of the biggest challenges was identifying disgruntled Americans or immigrants who might be susceptible to violence.
“Lone wolves are a big part of this problem,” she said. “We need to have an effective system that can spot bad guys and prevent and disrupt plots against us.”
One thing that would make for a more effective system would be to stop this puerile talk of “bad guys” and have the courage to name the enemy.

Jay Boo says
During an interview about a week ago a top government official commented that he was concerned that the Russians may not be sharing all their information about the terrorist threats at Sochi Olympics with US officials.
Can we blame them?
They clearly warned the FBI about the Boston Marathon but the FBI was too busy bowing to jihadist sensitivities. (A quem muito se abaixa vê-se-lhe o rabo)
JAG says
After Boston, I would treat the FBI as a terrorist organization.
JessieJames says
Ignorance is the main tool of Satan, that’s why so many people foolishly believe in the lies of the demon in the White House. All the fools who follow him do not even know what Islam is nor have they even heard of the koran. They don’t have a clue what the war and killing in the mid-east is all about. All they know is the basturd in the white house has promised them something for nothing. So when he says islam is not the problem and it’s a “peaceful religion” they all turn a blind eye to the truth.
mortimer says
WHAT? The FBI doesn’t BELIEVE the ‘religion of peace’ official doctrine of Obama? HERESY!
mortimer says
The easiest way to ‘focus’ is to cancel the passports of terrorists so they never return to the USA. Problem solved.
Rob says
Don’t think you can render a person stateless if they have one passport and you cancel it.
If they have dual citizenship and two valid passports you could cancel the Western (US/UK) one.
Theresa May the British Home Secretary has done that to about 20 dual citizenship British citizens.
I would pay to be a fly on the wall when some jihardi fronts the BA desk in some Arab country to return to their hated Western bolthole.
‘Sorry sir, this passport is no longer valid and your Libyan one does not have a valid visa for travel to the UK’.
That British status would immediately become very valuable, after previously being so contemptible.
revg says
Snowden. I guess you can.
KrazyKafir says
When I read terms like “our people” it makes me want to vomit.
Rob says
Similarly ‘folks’.
Mo-Blows says
WHEN , and it is a definite WHEN , these American and western Jihadists come home to commit terror against their own countries it will be the leftist apologists , the pandering politicians and the politically correct who refuse to accept Islam at the face value it presents every single day, who will bear the bulk of the responsibility.The same people who cry PHOBIC when rational and educated people call Islam out for it’s proven 1400 year track record of violence and murder.
These same apologists and their accomplices within these called ” moderate” , but far more like ” Complacent” Islamic community tell us over and over , in light of the historical FACTS of Muhammad, what he taught, and how he actually conducted himself during is life ,and as any novice student of Islam can tell you is considered the ” perfect role mode for mankind to emulate” that Islam is somehow not violent, murderous, or inhumane in it’s teachings and at it’s core , and has somehow been hijacked by extremists who misunderstand their religion. Funny how anyone could say this when we know the historical realities of what the perfect role model for emulation taught , by example.
YOU are being told not to believe your lying eyes and ears by deceivers and apologists, who either haven’t taken the time to actually educate themselves on Islam or simply cannot accept the truth of it.
Because In light of the historical FACT that the founder of this ideology was in FACT a slave owning , warrior bandit who brought the sword everywhere he went and enslaved millions to his hateful ideology , we are expected to be as stupid as to not draw parallels with the prophets behaviour and that of millions of so called ” extremists” who use violence, murder, and intolerance as part of their everyday lives?
LemonLime says
When the West wakes up to the problem of Islam — and it will; th only question is whether it will before a few million of us are mass-murdered by Muslims or will dally unconcionably until after that point — there should be set up a “Nuremberg 2” to try all the PC MCs and Leftists who were derelict in their duty to protect (government), inform (news media) and educate (academe and schools) the citizens they are supposed to serve.
Of course, the West will likely not wake up in time to be able to put all the useful idiots on trial, as some of them will have passed away by then (I estimate no less than 50-75 years from now) — but I do hope to Allah that Brian Williams will still be alive to be dragged from his multi-millinn-dollar vacation home in the Hamptons to be charged and tried with Insufferably Arrogant Reckless Stupidity and Starry-Eyed Sentimentality Endangering Our Lives.
My essay on this:
The Great Reawakening of the West, and a Nuremberg II
http://1389blog.com/2012/07/20/the-great-reawakening-of-the-west-and-a-nuremberg-ii/
dumbledoresarmy says
I have a question.
Given that you spend a great deal of time here insisting that what you call “PCMC” is in fact ubiquitous and normalised throughout the whole of the western world and, indeed, throughout the *whole* of the Infidel world, not just the West; that virtually *everybody* except maybe yourself and what? – 100? 1000 other people? is “infected” and would therefore qualify as being GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY! that the so-called ‘elites’ are no different from the mass that they govern/ teach/ entertain, that they merely reflect a dominant paradigm:
exactly *what* proportion of the present population of the West would you therefore regard as rightfully requiring to be arrested, tried, and either imprisoned or executed, in this great Purge that you envisage?
ten percent? twenty percent? thirty percent? forty percent? fifty percent? Or more?
How long exactly is your potential “hit list” and who precisely is on it?
*All* serving politicians? *All* journalists? *All* schoolteachers from elementary schoolmarms right on through to the professors? *All* Christians who have ever engaged in, or supported, evangelism in Muslim countries or among Muslims resident within non-Muslim countries?
And how will the investigations be carried out? Who will be in charge? What will prove Guilt? And who will be the Grand Inquisitor, or Inquisitors?
Come on. Get down to the nitty gritty.
Which people, precisely, in the United States, *right now*, do you regard as worthy of 1/ lifelong imprisonment or 2/ execution?
Let’s see some names. And to narrow it down even further: are there people within your own family, your own social circle, in your work place or in your place of education, in your local government area (mayor, sheriff, editor of the local paper), people you personally know, whom you regard as Traitors, and whom you would personally denounce, were this Purge taking place today?
gravenimage says
LemonLime wrote:
…there should be set up a “Nuremberg 2″ to try all the PC MCs and Leftists who were derelict in their duty to protect (government), inform (news media) and educate (academe and schools) the citizens they are supposed to serve.
………………………………..
You can’t try people for ignorance, LemonLime.
Thirty-five years ago, I thought the “two-state solution” sounded like a great idea, and while I never used the term, I probably would have agreed that Islamic terror (I’m not sure I even knew the term Jihad) was perpetrated by a “small minority of extremists”.
Now, I was a kid, and this was not only before 9/11 but before the first “Intifada”—but still, I confess I was pretty damn clueless, and along just the same same lines as so many of the clueless today.
Only a few of these people are *deliberately* enabling Jihad—the rest of them are just ignorant—if often willfully so.
You might also say that it is different because these are people in positions of power who are supposed to be protecting us.
But since you mention WWII, it is shocking how many Westerners—including those in positions of power in government, the media, and academia—in the years leading up to WWII were in deep denial about the threat of Fascism.
The issue then as now was *educating* them about the threat we face.
If there are actual, deliberate enablers of Jihad, a Nuremberg-style may be in order.
But for the mass of those with their heads in the sand who are potential allies if they can be convinced of the threat? This is *not* something Winston Churchill ever would have suggested.
gravenimage says
By the way, I’m quite embarrassed by how clueless I used to be—but I doubt very much that my story is unusual, even among those here at Jihad Watch.
LemonLime says
I didn’t say we should try and convict everyone who indulges in PC MC idiocy; I said there should be a Nuremberg 2 — which means there will be a trial. Unless you think the West is incapable of convening and prosecuting a trial that will be fair, I don’t understand what problem you have with this, unless you don’t think anyone during these times is guilty of treason.
gravenimage says
LemonLime wrote:
Unless you think the West is incapable of convening and prosecuting a trial that will be fair, I don’t understand what problem you have with this, unless you don’t think anyone during these times is guilty of treason.
…………………………….
Oh, I believe there *are* a few—certainly, Obama and Kerry come to mind. But as much as I admire Western jurisprudence, I don’t believe that there is any way we will ever get convictions on such figures.
Again, using the model of the United States in the years leading up to WWII, I believe that the important thing is to alert enough of the populace to the threat that such Jihad enablers are rendered *irrelevant*, and are no longer in positions of power.
Very few of those involved with the German-American Bund or running Hitler Youth camps in the US were ever charged with anything—but after a point they either changed their points of view or else, as noted, became irrelevant, as most of the populace rolled up their sleeves to fight the Fascists.
*Should* they have been charged? Probably so. But the most important thing, then as now, is to face what threatens us, and ensure that enablers lose credibility.
I think this is what is most important here, as well.
gravenimage says
One more thing, LemonLime—remember that most of those charged at Nuremberg were actual Fascists—mostly high-ranking Nazis.
There were only a comparative few who were charged with collaboration—and most of those when it was amply apparent to everyone what the Nazis were really up to.
As I have said before, I believe in general that *actual* deliberate enabling of Jihad in the West is fairly rare, and still dwarfed by cluelessness and willful denial about the Jihad threat.
This is, of course, deeply dangerous and suicidal in itself—but since it is not based on deliberate evil, in most cases it *can* be addressed, and most such people *are* capable of waking up.
Salah says
“He that walketh with the wise, shall be wise: a friend of fools shall become like to them. ” Proverbs 13:20
Friends of Muhammad shall become like him!
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/12/perfect-man-of-islam.html
exsgtbrown says
“We are focused on trying to figure out what our people are up to
try reading the Qur’an as they do and watch the numerous Islamic videos as they do…come on man! do we have to do your homework for you…
Champ says
What he said was, “We are focused on trying to figure out what our people are up to — who should be spoken to, who should be followed, who should be charged. — headline
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Figure out what “our people” are up to, eh? …which might include *terrorists* from every stripe; especially those dangerous and deadly Christians. Yeah Jesus taught His followers to slaughter those that would not convert to Christianity by going on suicide/murder missions .
/sarc
Question obama: why are the vast majority of terrorists muslim? ..hmm
Oh, I’m sure you’ve got some *great* answer–can’t wait to hear it.
Thomas Wells says
The guy in the picture on the left wearing the blue tie and smiling, is a radicalized muslim
PJG says
He’s smiling because he thinks all this is so amusing.
gravenimage says
“We are focused on trying to figure out what our people are up to — who should be spoken to, who should be followed, who should be charged,” Comey said in a recent meeting with reporters at FBI headquarters. “It’s something we are intensely focused on.”
…………………………………
These *aren’t* “our” people—not in any true sense of the word. These are Muslims who have inveigled American citizenship, just as other Muslims have cadged Canadian or European citizenship.
And, as Mr. Spencer has noted many times before, these Muslims are *already* “radcalized”, or else they wouldn’t be off to wage Jihad in the first place.
More:
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says that Al Qaeda, which has turned into a number of splinter groups, is just as ominous a threat as it was on Sept. 11, 2001. “Al Qaeda is not on the run, but is in fact growing in strength at an alarming rate across the Middle East and North Africa,” he said at a committee hearing Wednesday.
…………………………………
This is true. Kudos to Congressman McCaul.
More:
Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), who has closely studied the threat of Americans radicalized abroad, agrees that Al Qaeda remains far from defeated, although it is less centralized. “In many ways the threat is more dangerous than it was before,” he said.
…………………………………
Good stuff as usual from Congressman King. He may not understand everything about Jihad, but he is more knowledgeable—and concerned—than the vast majority of his fellow representatives.
And yes—many of these Jihadists will be returning to the US—and the rest of the West—to use their shiny new Jihad skills against the civilized Infidels who have given them sanctuary.
GFWSR says
What is wrong with rescinding their citizenship, and not allowing them back into the country? That probably makes too much sense!